Old School, just curious. When you deliver out of the SAPA plant, do they get you a return load? They don't run you back empty, do they?

Bruce, I'm a dedicated driver for that particular plant. My loads originate from there, but they try real hard to find a backhaul load that will return me somewhere close to the Delhi plant. They don't like for us to sit and wait for a backhaul though. They want us back to the plant as quickly as possible because they want us to be able to move their product. If we are going to have to sit for a day waiting, they just send us back empty. I'd estimate 90% of the time I already have a backhaul lined up before I'm finished with my current load.

Here's this week's assignment for an example. I'm dispatched from Delhi on a six stop load. Almost everything I do has multiple stops.

1st. Stop... Riverdale, NJ

2nd. Stop... Farmington, CT

3rd. Stop... Farmington, CT

4th. Stop... Bristol, CT

5th. Stop... Hamden, CT

Final... North Collins, NY

They've already set me up to pick up a backhaul load from the SAPA plant in Cressona, PA. Do you see how efficient that is? I already know where to go next. As soon as I'm empty, I can keep rolling. It took a few years to get that efficiency established. At this point, I tell them when I will be at my consignee before I ever leave the shipper , and they've had enough experience with me to know it will be a rock solid plan. That gives them the ability to pre-plan loads for me with confidence, thus allowing me to serve their needs better, while knocking down some big miles consistently.

It helps a lot that they have 25 plants across the country. No matter where they send me, I'm not too far from a SAPA plant where we can orchestrate a backhaul load. Occasionally the backhaul will be done in two stages. Here's an example: I might get a backhaul out of Cressona, PA that goes to Miami, FL. Well, that doesn't really put me close to Delhi, LA. So they will then send me to the ports near Tampa Bay where I will pick up some aluminum "logs" that have come across the ocean from Russia or Dubai and I'll deliver them to the plant in Delhi. Bingo, I'm back home for another load!

Just so you know what I'm referencing, here's a shot of some aluminum "logs." These were picked up from a SAPA plant up North. They don't normally have snow on the ground in Tampa Bay.

Consignee:

The customer the freight is being delivered to. Also referred to as "the receiver". The shipper is the customer that is shipping the goods, the consignee is the customer receiving the goods.

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

Old School, really great description of your company's procedure. Your trip plan/stops look like a LOT of
miles.

I am really fascinated by aluminum and make custom jigs and fixtures out of it. More of a hobby than a
business. From what I've been told, one of the things China doesn't have an advantage in is aluminum
production. Aluminum requires tremendous quantities of electricity to produce, and China doesn't have
the electrical capacity that the U.S. and other countries have. Fascinating stuff. Always keep learning,
never stop learning!

Bruce, you'd be fascinated with the process of making these extrusions. Those logs are heated up until they are cherry red, which makes them pliable enough to force through the various dies that provide the shapes to the finished product. They use huge hydraulic presses to push the aluminum through the die. I've seen hydraulic cylinders at some of the plants that look like they are 6 feet in diameter, and twenty plus feet long.

TWIC:

Transportation Worker Identification Credential

Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.

Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

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